The
Senate is about to approve legislation (Mothers
Act � S.1375) which mandates the indoctrination of pregnant and
nursing mothers into the use of extremely dangerous psychiatric medication.
We already know this class of medication poses serious health risks
to both mother and baby. Consequences to the baby are now proven to
cause nerve-related changes that can adversely affect health for a lifetime.

This
Big Pharma legislation was innocuously crafted under the pretense of
helping pregnant mothers deal with stress and mood. On the surface it
is made to look like a helpful public policy that any Senator would
want to support. The reality is that pregnant and nursing mothers have
become a Big Pharma target market and this legislation locks in taxpayer
funds to dispense psych drugs to pregnant and nursing mothers � guaranteeing
that Big Pharma will get billions for poisoning the most vulnerable
members in our society.

Now
that Senators are being called on the carpet for what this law will
actually do; i.e., injure babies for life � they have gone behind close
doors to finish marking up the bill and plan to sneak it through the
Senate in the beginning of April without any debate or chance for amendment.
A marriage of Big Pharma dollars with a bizarre socialist medicine agenda
is more compelling to them than real health. The legislation is cosponsored
by both Clinton and Obama (members of the Senate HELP committee that
will bring the legislation to the floor of the Senate), but make no
mistake � it is also widely supported by republican senators and Bush
will sign it in a heartbeat. Both sides of the aisle are owned by Big
Pharma. The only thing more important to them than the Big Pharma money
is their image � so let�s make it clear: they are proposing legislation
that knowingly will injure mothers and babies.

The
only thing standing in the way of the final passage of this legislation
is your opposition. Go to
my website and click on the Take Action link. With two mouse clicks
you can use my CapWiz software to send a letter of opposition to both
of your senators, it only takes 30 seconds.

Scientific
Evidence of Psych-Drug Damage Relating to Pregnancy

The
dangers of psych drugs during pregnancy and lactation have been reported
for a number of years. However, within the past six months a stunning
amount of new data has become available which I will now summarize for
you. A lot of this information is new since the Senate bill was first
crafted. Any Senator who was truly interested in the health and well
being of mother and child would put the Mothers Act on hold until the
true risks of these drugs are fully known. It is completely irresponsible
of Senators to create laws which will directly injure mothers, unborn
children, and new babies.

It
is a well known scientific fact that psych drugs readily cross the placenta
and expose the fetus to pharmacologically active levels of these drugs.
It is also known that nursing mothers have pharmacologically active
levels of these drugs in their breast milk.

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Exposing
a fetus or new baby to these drugs is far different than exposing the
adult nervous system which has already established brain circuitry.
The fetus�s evolving nerves are trying to form core nerve circuitry
(like computer hardware) that cannot easily be changed later, establishing
connections throughout the body � such as to the heart and lungs, and
setting up how these organs will be run by the nerves over the course
of a lifetime. Available evidence clearly shows that psych drugs interfere
with these natural processes and pose a grave risk to the unborn � a
risk that can result in a lifetime of poor health.

A
meta-analysis published in May
of 2007 showed that women taking antidepressants in the first trimester
of pregnancy had a 72% increased risk for a child with cardiac malformation
(birth defect). A study published in Dec
of 2006 reviewed earlier studies showing that the use of antidepressants
during any phase of pregnancy carried serious risks for birth defects,
especially cardiovascular. It reviewed a Danish study showing 60% increased
risk, an American study showing 100% increased risk, and a Swedish study
showing 120% increased risk for cardiovascular defects. The American
study showed 4% of women who used antidepressants during pregnancy had
a baby with any type of birth defect; 2% of women having babies with
cardiovascular birth defects. It is clear that antidepressant medication
interferes with how nerves communicate to the heart as the fetus is
evolving. Click here to read
the story of Manie � a baby born with an antidepressant-induced heart
defect.

A
Dec
of 2007 Dutch study reports on the broad array of side effects in
babies whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy. These include
respiratory distress, feeding and digestive disturbances, irritability,
and convulsions. The authors also point out that animal studies have
shown �permanent changes in specific parts of the brain and altered
behavior in adulthood after perinatal exposure to SSRIs.� A Dec
of 2007 Swedish study confirms much of this information, again pointing
out the high rates of respiratory distress, convulsions, hypoglycemia,
and overall poor health (low Apgar scores). An Oct
of 2006 study explains that 30% of babies born to mothers who used
antidepressants have significant inability to adapt (adjusting to being
born and then thriving). This means that even when there are not blatant
birth defects, general health of the newborn is compromised across the
boards � an incredibly dangerous situation.

Indeed,
data published in Oct
of 2006 showed mothers who took antidepressants are much more likely
to have premature deliveries and low birth weight babies � indicative
of general malnutrition induced by antidepressant medication. Studies
in sheep clearly show that this is because antidepressants reduce
the flow of blood to the uterus, in turn reducing the amount of oxygen
and nutrition that can get to the baby.

An
Oct
of 2007 U.S. study reviewed the animal data that shows exposure
to antidepressants causes life long abnormalities in behavior and stress
tolerance. A Feb
of 2005 study demonstrated that 2 month old infants already had
a depressed and inappropriate response to pain � a key factor indicating
disturbed development of the nervous system. This issue is directly
related to properly coping with stress or pain as an adult, the failure
of which leads to anxiety, fibromyalgia, and increased risk for sudden
death from a cardiovascular event. This is a profound neurologic change
because it means that the developing nervous system, as a result of
exposure to psych meds, has been �traumatized,� adversely priming nerves
to hyper-react to future stress.

Several
studies have tried to identify childhood behavioral and attention issues
in those exposed to psych drugs during pregnancy. (Jan
of 2007, June
of 2006) While poor coping trends are evident, a clear pattern has
not emerged because these children are still living in high stress environments
due to parental instability � which is never good for children whether
they have been exposed to medication or not.

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The
bottom line of all of this information about psych drug use during pregnancy
is that it is one huge experiment with many unknown and likely adverse
health consequences. Once again we see the failure of the FDA to protect
the public, as the FDA does not demand Big Pharma do studies to prove
these drugs are safe for pregnant women. To the contrary, most available
science tilts in the direction that they are quite unsafe and carry
extreme risks for the baby � with ominous implications for future poor
health for the child and health care costs to society. Senators in favor
of this legislation, which would steer 80% of pregnant women on to these
meds, need their heads and morality examined. They should be personally
held accountable to the mothers whose babies their law injures.

Richards
encourages individuals to take charge of their health, stand up for their
health rights, and not blindly succumb to propaganda from the vested-interests
who profit from keeping Americans sick. As founder of Wellness Resources,
Inc. of Minneapolis, MN, an independently-owned fine-quality dietary supplement
company since 1985, he has personally developed 75 unique nutraceutical-grade
nutritional formulas. www.wellnessresources.com